


A Brother's Instinct

by apothecaryofthemind



Series: Stoxxy Ficlets [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Conflict, Drama, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29952789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apothecaryofthemind/pseuds/apothecaryofthemind
Summary: Ford finds out his brother is dating a friend of his, and has a few choice words for her.
Relationships: Stan Pinesx OC (implied)
Series: Stoxxy Ficlets [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2202627
Kudos: 1





	A Brother's Instinct

Coming home from another long day doing research on the rifts was exhausting, though it was very worth it. Ever since Weirdmageddon, the town had become a veritable smorgasbord of anomalous phenomena, which meant plenty of new research to work with.

Pressing the door open with his palm, Ford draped his scarf on the coatrack and dropped a notebook on a nearby table. “Stanley! I’m back!” He called, his eyes shifting focus to the fact something felt... different.

“Stanley? Where is he-?”

"He's out thrifting for the day. Is there something I can help you with?"

Standing at the top of the stairs in Stanley's wrinkled shirt was a woman with hair like a mass of blackened curls, skin pale as the evening light.

A woman Ford recognized all too well. 

Roxanne.

What was she doing here? How did she get in the house? And why was she- okay, maybe the answer to that question was a bit too obvious. He shook it off, clearing his throat at the image of the woman in his brother's dress shirt.

“How long have you been in here?” Stanford raised a brow, recalling her recent increase in visits with curiosity. “And, well- I thought Stanley would be home at this time.”

"Whoa, hey- I've been over since last night. Sorry to intrude," she mumbled, pulling back her mess of tangled hair. "He said you might get back before him, but I didn't think it'd be this soon."

Roxxy looked.. tense. She remembered Ford well enough, and their original meeting was.. cordial. But she hadn't counted on Stanley. No one would have expected what happened between those two- the whirlwind romance was a bit out of nowhere. And it definitely complicated things.

“Last night? I thought I would’ve seen you,” he muttered, clearly losing himself in his own thoughts. Ford returned his attention to the other, regarding her with a quizzical look. “How did you meet Stanley?” The researcher and scientist simply flashed a tight-lipped smile.

"We uh.. we actually met at the mall." Taking a few steps down to meet his eyes, Roxanne continued to fuss about with the looser parts of Stan's dress shirt. It hung off her like bed sheets, and she was obviously anxious by the way her hands gripped the cloth.

"We bumped into each other at a candy kiosk and just.. started talking, yanno? He took me out for cupcakes, we took a walk in the park.. It was all a bit spur of the moment, you know?"

“So, you’re-“ he paused for a second, mulling over what he’d been told. “You’re dating my brother,” he continued, perhaps a bit too bluntly. Ford was a bit surprised to say the least.

It was obviously more complicated than that, of course- relationships were messy things. But if the two were close enough that Stan was comfortable bringing her home, then there had to be sparks.

He watched her with a steady, silent gaze, before finally asking in this deadpan voice. “What are you looking for from Stanley?” Stanford would never consider himself to be protective. Then again, this was also the man who’d do anything for his family- no matter what.

He had to know his brother would be okay.

For Roxxy, the question hit like a truck. He certainly wasn't wrong- with all the time she and Stan had spent together, calling this anything else would be denial. The long drives, and icecream sundaes, the kissing... The more than kissing..

At the thought of it, her heart softened. Dating. The idea of this being a long term thing excited her. 

And, here Ford was, eyes drilling through her like diamonds through concrete. And she'd be lying if she said he was wrong to question it, or her. But when she thought on her answer, only one thing escaped her lips.

"To be worthy of him."

His eyes narrowed for a second before cocking his head like a dog, almost as if it was a silent dare. “Interesting,” he muttered. “Well, I do know this. I hardly know you and I only mean the best for my brother.”

“Stanley’s already been through a lot, so-“

He dramatically paused, one hand sliding back to reveal the blaster trained at his side. “If you hurt him, I will make sure I do everything in my power to keep him safe. Understood?”

The sight of the blaster startled her enough to step back, eyes darting between his face and the firearm. This was.. cliche, but also deeply unexpected.

What came next, however, would be more so, as Roxanne swallowed her strain and closed the distance between them. Her gaze locked with his in a matched determination, unwavering in the light that leaked in through the windows.

"Is that a promise?"

“Of course it is,” he answered simply, Stanford keeping his words blunt. 

“That being said, I do hope you make him happy and safe.” Ford wasn’t sure what it was about Roxanne, but she didn’t seem human. Not at all. Then again... she wasn’t appearing threatening though looks couldn’t possibly be everything.

"It's all I want, Ford. I promise you, it's everything I want. These past two weeks have been... Have been the best days of my life." Pushing the curls from her face, Roxxy gave a cocky, but earnest smile. "I'd be a right idjit to fuck this up for myself, and not just because his brother is threatening to put a hole in my torso."

Her gaze fell to a photo on the wall, of Stan fishing with Dipper and Mabel. The light in his eyes was vibrant, and her hand rose to trace his jawline, exaggerated by the picture's lighting to frame the smile in radiant glow. "You don't meet men like him where I'm from, love."

“You seem... different than most,” he pointed out after a second of silence. Stanford finally relaxed. There was a flash of a smile before it faded. Perhaps this odd woman could be trusted after all.

Ford, with confidence in his eyes, held out his hand. “If Stanley trusts you-“

“Welcome to Gravity Falls.”

**Author's Note:**

> Cowritten by ApprenticeOfTheArts
> 
> For Lee and Mich! I love you both!


End file.
